As 2024 comes to an end, we at RootCamp want to thank all our partners, mentors, and startups for an inspiring and impactful year.

Here are just a few highlights of this year:
🟢ranking as 2nd best Accelerator in Germany and 12th place in Europe by Statista SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator
organising the first Desafia FoodTech Germany for Spanish startups ICEX, BioMixing S.L., Innomy, Oscillum, NUCAPS, Gimme Sabor (antes Guimarana), Let it V Foods, QUEVANA, and COCUUS
🔵joining the Smarterra consortium to develop an innovation ecosystem in the South of Italy EY, DEEP Ecosystems, TechBBQ; Sweden Foodtech
🟢acquiring 4 new team members Annkathrin Wahbi, Emilia Muñoz Tipan, Gereon von Ilten, Liza Ziva
🔵becoming a part of the de:hub initiative from the BMWK as de:hub AgriFood Osnabrück/Hannover together with Seedhouse, Agrotech Valley Forum e.V. and DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e. V.
🟢supporting excellent startups throughout the year Nium, Veridi Technologies BV, Open Climate Solutions, Plantilizer, VCG.AI and GOENOMICS GmbH
Amata Green, SL, eco:fibr, Farmula, Proofminder, NoMaze, Regen Insight, Verdancy
🔵Bioeconomy DeepDives Rentenbank
🟢5 Pilot Projects K+S Group

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a successful start to 2025 – we can’t wait to continue growing together! Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the RootCamp team! 🎅✨

Balancing the demands of existing business operations while investing in disruptive innovations remains a key challenge for companies, often referred to as the Innovator's Dilemma.
At our recent Innovation Roundtable, an exclusive gathering for our corporate partners, we talked about #VentureClienting.
🎤 We were delighted to host Philipp Frey, Principal at hy – the Axel Springer Consulting Group, who shared valuable insights on how Venture Clienting offers a structured way for companies to collaborate with startups, driving innovation, growth, and long-term success.
Become a RootCamp partner today and accelerate your innovation strategy: https://lnkd.in/eD9vQ_rU
⏩ Swipe right below for more insights of the session.

Second focus week of our Acceleration Program 🚀

Here’s a quick recap of what has happened:

1️⃣ Each startup should always be hiring
Cristina Iulia Toma is our mentor for recruiting strategies. She brings many years of experience working for companies like E.ON and KWS Group as well as smaller companies.
With Cristina we talked about building high-performing teams and navigating the evolving hiring market. It ́s essential for the company to constantly expand and improve professional network and understand the time and effort required for effective HR practices
Startups walked away with concrete tips on how to create their "employee persona" and how to efficiently plan their hiring processes.

2️⃣ Every startup should have a patent strategy
Sönke Scheltz and Manuel Söldenwagner from Eisenführ Speiser are expert IP lawyers dealing with all matters concerning contracts with IP clauses as well as patents. They delivered a comprehensive session on IP law and strategies for safeguarding innovations. They shared practical advice, covering the importance of contracts to secure intellectual property as well as patent strategies.

3️⃣ Automation is key in sales
Every week we invite a founder to share his/her experience with our startups. This time, we invited Dmitry Dementiev from GeoPard Agriculture (RC Alumni Batch #2). GeoPard Agriculture is a cloud based powerhouse for precision Ag data with business intelligence capabilities. GeoPard was founded in 2019 and since then they have been working with hundreds of customers of different size and in different geographies. Dmitry provided first-hand experience about developing sales strategies. In particular we talked about inbound vs outbound strategies, CRMs and how to structure the customer journey.

Thanks a lot to Cristina Iulia Toma, Sönke Scheltz and Manuel Söldenwagner for being part of the Batch#6 program!

Applications for EIT Food Entrepreneurship Programs 2025 Now Open!
EIT Food has opened the application phase for its 2025 Entrepreneurship Programs with application deadline February 21, 2025.

The program is designed for teams (including those not yet formally established) with Deep-Tech solutions in Agri-Tech, food, and food technology, aiming to validate their market potential.

Program Highlights:
This six-month program offers €9,000 in funding, international events and access to the world's largest agri-food network. Supported by global mentors, it is flexible, online, and compatible with studies or work.
Starts May 2025.

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to advance your innovative idea in the agrifood sector and become part of a dynamic, international network!

Every year, we come together multiple times across the different locations of the SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator Group. We love to meet all together to strengthen relationships within a team that primarily works virtually.

This week, we held our final team day of the year – and what an incredible day it was! Here are some highlights:
🌟 Reflecting on 2024 Successes
What a remarkable year it has been! The group achieved numerous milestones, including RootCamp’s impactful initiatives like Desafia, Smarterra, and Bioeconomy Deep Dives. These projects have expanded our reach to new countries and explored exciting topics.
🌟 Workshop: Grants & Tenders
This session highlighted the critical role grants and tenders play in financing our activities alongside our industry partnerships. It was great to learn how each of us can contribute to this process and drive impactful results.
🌟 Workshop: Doing Business in Germany
We dived into best practices for startups entering the German market and brainstormed how to make our programs even more appealing to these innovators.
🌟 Keynote by Christian Glade
Christian inspired us with a masterclass on vision selling and negotiation principles. We left the session energized with fresh ideas and newfound confidence in our negotiation skills. Turns out, there’s a little negotiator in all of us!
🌟 A Magical Conclusion
We wrapped up the day at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management with a private Christmas market experience, complete with festive cheer and team spirit – the perfect way to celebrate a successful year together.